Our research

Online and blended environments connect engineering classes in different countries. Both Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and Blended Intensive Programs (Erasmus+ BIP) provide instructors with venues to promote students’ international, interdisciplinary collaboration – key elements in addressing global challenges. Such environments allow engineering students to connect across cultures and become sensitive to societal needs. A key notion in this process is Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), which is rarely addressed systematically in these programs; instead, it is expected to develop incidentally through students’ experience. Given this challenge, attention needs to be paid to its implementation, particularly regarding learning outcomes that can emerge through teamwork between instructors and students from diverse cultural, linguistic and disciplinary backgrounds. 

IMPROVE fills a gap by investigating whether and how ICC is addressed in engineering COILs and BIPs. The project will investigate ICC contents and learning outcomes in BIP/COIL syllabi and engineering lecturers’ views of ICC, with data gathered from public documents and through a survey to lecturers. Based on these findings, IMPROVE will propose a research-informed framework of ICC that can be adapted to virtual environments in engineering education. Guidelines will be provided for T.I.M.E. to design COILs and BIPs that can successfully develop engineering students’ ICC.